Index.



No. 6533505. Patented July "1,1900. w. E. ALEXANDER.

IN I] E X.

ication filed Dec.

(No Model.

ilerrrsn TA'IES 3V ELL-1AM E. ALEXANDER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONF-HALF TO JOSEPH C. DANDO, Jli, OF SAME PLACE. I

lNDEX.

srnerrrcerronr forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,605, dated July 10, 1900. Application tiled December 8, 1399. smart. 739,704. lliomudcl.)

To wZZ whom it 11mg; concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A EXAN- DER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in indexes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in directories or indexes especially for use in connectioh' with telephones The object of my invention is to provide an index which can be readily handled with one hand and which will automatically close soon as released. This object I attain in the following manner, reference being had to the accompanying (.lrawings in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my in;- provcd directory and Fig. 2 is a sectional view.

A is the casing, made oi? any suitable material, having a back a, sides a, and a base c 13 is a cover, pivoted. to the base of the ease by spring-hinges C O in the present instance, so that the cover can be readily turned down and when released will close automatically.

1) are a series of cards, each card being stopped, as shown, so as to expose a certain portion of the card above the upper edge of the cover. On the exposed surface of the cards are printed the letters or other indicating marks. The cards are of such a thickness that they can be handled without crumpling, and they are loose within the case and-can be readily removed when itis necessary to add a name tothe directory. I block 0 and the cover B and are kept some distance from the,

The cards rest between a back at their upper edges by a rib or projection f, so that when it is desired to select any one oi the cards all that is necessary is to pu" l the finger against the special eardpvhich will force the cards back, so as to allow the linger to enter the space between the card having the ddsired names and the card in front of it, so that the latter card, together with the cover, can be drawn out to expose the names, asolearly shown in Fig. 1. Thus the edges of the cards are not mutilated or destroyed by constant picking.

It should be observed that the bottom piece 0 and the rib are so placed that an inclined rest termed for the cards, so that the bot-- other suitable material.

of the alphabet toms of the cards are held'between the cover and the block or piece 6 at a greater distance from the back of the case than the tops of said cards, and said tops extend above the top pieee--that is, the rib f- 0f the rest, and while I have shown two pieces as composing this rest, as that is a preferable construction, it is obvious that a greater or less number of such pieces maybe employed without departing from the essential features of my invention. The device can be made very cheaply, can be either secured to the wall or rest upon a table, and can be made of wood, metal, or The cards can be made of pasteboard, celluloid, or other suitable material.

While my invention is especially applicable as a directory for telephones, it will be understood that it can be used in convenient form as an address-card for ollice use or as a memorandum, and in place of the alphabet shown other indicating-marks may be used without departing from my'invent-iom, I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination in an index or direc-. tory, of a case, a cover hinged to the bottom of the case, an inclined rest at the back of the case, a seriesof cards mounted within the case confined betwccn'the cover-plate and the said rest, with the bottoms of said cards at a greater distance from the back of the case than the tops and the latter extending above the cover-plate and the rest, so that the up{ per portion of the cards can yield to pressure of the finger, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the case having tapered sides, a cover hinged to the base of the case, springs for closing the cover against the case, a block at the bottom of the case between which and the cover the cards are mounted, and a projecting rib at the back of the case against which the upper portion of the cards rest, the said cards extending above the hinged cover, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed' my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. ALEXANDER.

Witnesses:

J. (J. Gooowm, Jr., iinruzr U. ltsnmo. 

